Another Month Down for Arlee!

Arlee is now eleven months old.  Time flys that is for sure.  I still don't know what we are going to do about her 1st birthday, but we will figure it out soon I am sure.  She is starting to push off of furniture to stand up by herself.  Arlee is getting to the point of not nursing! Right now she is nursing for only about four minutes on each side.  She still has her days when she eats longer, but mostly not very long.  I really would like to nurse her for the full twelve months, but she might be weening for the next month.  Who knows right?  I will be updating you about this soon. : )

Newest Soccer Injury

It has been about about four months since I have played.  Wasn't really planning on playing with the girls team.  I was more hoping for the co-ed team to start back up.  My friend called and told me that they were starting up the next day, but they only needed one more person.  Dang it!  I really wanted to be able to have my sister play with me.  However, I told her that would love to play. 

Okay, so I don't know what it is, but everytime that I have a soccer game I have to go to the bathroom.  Nerves really gets the best of me.  So I had a turning stomach before I left.  Driving there was a bit of a joke since the GPS honestly doesn't always know the best way to go (used it since we moved, otherwise I wouldn't have).  I can understand maybe a little bit out of the way, but it was without a doubt the dumbest way to get there.  So thanks to the GPS I was late and nervous.  Our game started off okay.  Everyone seemed to be a bit rusty, but still hanging in there.  I was out at the start of the game.  I got in and during the first half I get slammed right in the side of the face with the soccer ball.  The girl that kicked it was only about ten feet away, so you can only imagine how bad it hurt. Oddly enough I didn't cry, which is weird for me.  I couldn't really hear right after it.  My face was numb and and very red.  I kept playing and started feeling like there was some liquid residing in there.  I felt to see if it was blood.  It wasn't thank goodness.  I kept playing and I still wasn't getting any hearing back.

Hans was watching Arlee for me before he left for his weekly basketball playing with his friends.  I had to leave before the game was over.  I called Hans and told him wat happened.  He said that we should wait and see if anything changes. Talking to my mom about it and she said that I could get an infection if my ear drum popped.  She also told me that I could always check it by putting some rubbing alcohol in there.  If it hurts then it is probably popped (she knows this from my brother popping his ear drum).  My mom told me that I could do that, but it would not feel good and she wouldn't suggest it. Being the curious person that I am I tried it and let me tell you it killed like the dickens...  I would've screamed for all the nieghbors to hear, but I just put Arlee down.  Instead, I just bit my lip and screamed in my head... and of course teared up a bit.

Hans got home and I talked to him again and told him that it really hurts.  We decided that I should go to the doctor and get it checked.  Plus, Hans really didn't like me saying what the whole time watching tv or repeating himself. 

I called my ear doctor from when I was younger and they didn't have any appointment for a couple of weeks.  Plan B... I got a hold of my insurance and asked them to give me some doctors to call.  I called around and got an appointment for the next day (today).  Went to the appointment today and the doctor took a look in my ear and said, "Oh yeah you have a huge hole in our ear"  I was glad to hear that  something was wrong with me and I wasn't mistaken.  He had me get a hearing test to check to see if I had any damage to the tiny bones inside my ear.  My hearing in the hurt ear wasn't a lot worse then the good ear.  That was a good sign.  If there was a significant difference then they would have to go in and repair them.  With the hearing test results back they have given me some ear drops that I have to put in twice a day for a week.  I will go back in next Thursday and see if the hole is repairing itself.  If it doesn't then they will go in and add a paper patch over it and I will have my hearing back instantly.  I am really hoping that the drops work and no further work needs to be done.  We will just have to wait and see.  Pray for my poor ear.  It is going to need it. 

I am still going to be able to play soccer.  I need to be really careful not to get hit in the ear again though, because it might create more problems.  Hopefully, nothing else happens to it.  While showering I have to plug my ear so I don't get water in it, no swimming (darn it) and no dunking my head in a hot tub.  Seems as though I only really have to worry about the shower and other soccer games.  I will be updating you after my appointment next week.

Chelsey

Check This Pair Out!

Check This Pair Out I tell you...

Since we found out that we were moving into a home that is fully furnished.  We started to think of things that we were going to give away, sell or keep.  One of the items that we decided that we were going to sell were our washer and dryer that were a few years old.  Hans' brother bought them from us the day that we moved. 

Coming to the new house and doing laundry was in mine as well as Hans' a step down from our old washer and dryer that we just sold.  The dryer didn't dry very well.  We had to put it through between two to four times to get the clothes dry; which was okay, but still annoying.  The washer was a whole other story... It was washing the clothes just great.  Two laundry times using the washer later... The washer just ate up a new shirt that I got for Christmas from my brother in law, Jens.  Okay, it wasn't just a tiny hole of anything it shredded the whole sleve and then still put some holes in the front and back of the shirt.  I was almost in tears.  My new shirt was not only ruined it looked really cute on me too. : (  I looked through all the other clothes that had been washed and nothing was wrong with them. Of course, this was making me wonder. Has this sort of thing happened before?  If so, why weren't we told that the washer was very hungry?  I emailed the owners and asked them about it.  They haven't had this sort of problem before.  Thinking that this might just be a freak accident I did the wash the next week and YEP you guessed it, there was no freak accident.  It was the same thing again, it ate one of my shirts!  This time it wasn't a christmas present is was an old dingy shirt that I have had since junior high volleyball.  It was a work out shirt.  At this rate there was no question. We needed to buy a washer and dryer. Dryer, because theirs doesn't dry. A washer, because it eats clothes.  Not just any clothes, but my clothes!  Grrrr!!!! 

After talking to the owners we got the okay to take their washer and dryer out (saving it though for them to come back to) and we could get new ones.  I saw an ad for RCWilley and there was a pair of LG washer and dryers on sale for $900.00.  It was to be ours and nothing was going to stop us...........Until we went to get them and they were out! Dang it... we just can't get a break.  We talked to the salesman and he showed us a Frigidair pair that was discounted, because they were a floor model. I mean nothing is wrong with them, people just open and shut them.  SOLD to the couple who's clothes are dwindling as they know it.  We were able to get the pedestals and the stacking kit.  We are not using the stacking kit now, but you never know if we will need it or if we go to sell it and the people will need it. 

See the picture below... Aren't they pretty?

Chelsey

Pictures of Adorable Arlee

This is one of the best pictures that she has taken.  Let me tell you it was a challenge to keep her fro crawling away from me... Many many many attempts

Arlee is giving a very big smile after a very BIG meal!  Yummy Food...

Arlee enjoying her toys in the bathroom

Arlee's toes painted for the first time... can't you tell?  They are messy, but cute

New Favorite Song

My new favorite song is HEY, SOUL SISTER by TRAIN  Check it out on the playlist at the bottom of my blog.  It is such a happy song!  It really make you want to dance and it doesn't even matter where you are or what you are doing... you got to get jiggy with it.  Haha!  Anyway, take a listen.

Arlee's favorite song right now is Poker Face by Lady GaGa... I don't have a video of her dancing to it, but she loves it!  That is also at the bottom on our playlist

Today's Adventure

Today's Adventure was helping throw a baby shower for my sister in law, Amy sister- Shelly.  I often do things with Amy's family.  We do witches night together at Gardner Village, make fudge and other random things. It has really been great to have a sister in law that feels like a sister. If any of you have sister in laws you can back me up that it is really great to have them feeling more as a sisters than an in laws.  I feel that it brings the family closer together and you are able to understand one another a lot easier.

Anyhow, the BIG reason for helping with Shelly's baby shower was that Amy is due in about two weeks and needs all the extra help lifting and running around that she can get.  We had the shower at my house and Amy and her mom did the food.  We had a light lunch, which ended up being a pretty HEAVY lunch.  There was plenty to eat.  No harm in that right?  Broccoli Cheese Soup and Chili paired with delicious bread (which was picked up from a bakery), Salad, cookies, cupcakes and brownies. For the drinks we had water and a Sprite.  Decorations were brown and baby blue table cloths, ballons, mints and plates. 

Even though I didn't know anyone there it was great to talk to everyone.  Amy and Shelly have a great family.  They are supportive and very friendly.  Turns out that through talking to the ladies there I found one of my mom's friends that she hasn't seen since high school.  I gave her my mom's number so they can have a catching up lunch. Another would be a couple that was in mine and Hans' first ward after we were married.  We looked across the room at each other a few times and then I couldn't take it anymore and told her that she looked really familiar and she said that I did too.  After talking for about thrirty minutes it hit me.  We both were a little embarrased that it took us that long, but we were glad that we got it figured out.  She has four month old twins (boy and a girl) and they are so tiny.  She had them when she was 33 weeks!  YIKES!!!  We are going to get together and have a game night with Shelly soon.  I am excited for that.  : ) 

The baby shower went really well and everyone had a great time.  It was an open house, but almost everyone stayed around and talked for the majority of the time.  That was the first shower that I really helped with and I am looking forward to the next ones that I will be doing.  Hopefully soon I will get to do a Bridal Shower for my little sister, Kali : )  Just kidding Kali and a Baby Shower for my sister, Abbie.  Hopefully the word will get out that they are looking for a baby to adopt.  We just need the right one to hear about it.  You never know how things will work out that is for sure. 

Chelsey 

First Tooth!

I forgot to post this, but here it goes.  Arlee now has her first tooth poking through the skin.  I noticed it when she was just barely ten months and a week old.  My friends' babies, that I have told you about in the "Three Little Tikes" post have had their teeth coming in since they were six months.  I felt bad for my friend, Tanya who is nursing just like me and she was being bit all the time.  I kept telling her that Arlee can only gum me!  Well now that she has gotten a tooth she can now bite away.  Luckily, she has only done this once!  I am so thankful that she didn't get them sooner.  Only one month and a week left for the dreadful moments of being bit.  Like I said, it has only been once so far and that was awhile ago.  Knock on wood though right... right... right?  Well, no worries I will be sure to let you know.  ; )

Chels

Valentines Day at the Hoges

For Valentines this year Hans and I decided to get a Wii and the Wii fit.  This is a big purchase for us so we just thought we would combine it with our anniversary that is less then a month later.  We do this sort of thing often.  Last year we bought a video camera.  Most of these things we want to get anyway and with Arlee about to come into the world we decided to do that last year; and this year we continued the tradition. : ) 

We celebrated Valentines by watching the All Star dunk contest and eating Papa Johns pizza.  It was great!  The most romatic Valentines that I have ever had!  Hans was working until seven that night and time was limited.  We had a great time and Arlee was asleep by eight thirty which gave us some time to be by ourselves.  Don't get me wrong I love our little girl, but it is so nice to have her in bed and relax.  On
Sunday it was just like any other Sunday... church and then off to our parents' house for dinner. 

I love my little family and don't know what I would do with out them.  I am so grateful to have them and love the time that we are able to spend together. 

Chelsey

"Choo Choo Train" Adventure

Yesterday morning my mom text me and told me that they were going to go up and ride the Front Runner. The day started out that we were going to go and then we weren't and finally that we were going.

Arlee and I met a portion of my family at the Trax station and rode it to Salt Lake Central Station where the Front Runner was waiting for us (Hans was at school). We ran across the platform, pushed the button for the door to open so we didn't miss the train, the doors opened, we hopped on and quickly found our seats so we didn't get tossed around much like we did on trax when it was ready to go. Being the guy that my dad is he started timing as soon as I said that we only had three minutes left until we were to be leaving. Well.... we waited and waited the train wasn't moving and according to the schedule it was supposed to be moving at this point. After waiting for about fifteen the train started moving. My nephew was so cute. His eyes lite up and a huge smile on his face. Jayden loved riding on the "choo choo train". It was a forty-seven minute ride from Salt Lake to Ogden.

Once we got to Ogden we got off and had bathroom breaks and got some lunch. After lunch we went to the Train Museum- that was just next door to the train station and played around until the next train came. We made the next train with no problems and this time less time to wait. We did have to wait for the Trax train though this time and still are not sure why. Once we got going on Trax it didn't take too long to get back to where our cars were. Arlee and I said good-bye and then we went home. It was a fun-filled day and it was time to relax at home with Hans.

My mom holding Arlee on the Trax

Me and Arlee on Trax

Me and Arlee at the Train Museum in Ogden, Utah

 Me and Arlee at the Train Museum in Ogden, Utah

My parents with Arlee at the Train Museum in Ogden, Utah

Really cool looking black train at the Train Museum in Ogden, Utah

Caught my dad off gaurd for a picture as he was looking at the inside of the car

Right to left: nephew, Jayden; brother in law, David; Arlee; my mom; and my sister, Lyndsay. 

Me holding Arlee.  She fell asleep on the way back to the Trax station on the Front Runner Train.  So precious!

Thanks to my family for inviting us we had a lot of fun.

Chels

ADOPTION- PLEASE HELP!

My sister, Abbie and her husband, Matt are adopting!!!  They have been trying for over a year now and are still waiting for their day. Matt and Abbie are working with LDS Family Services in their adoption process.  They are two great people who are full of love and still have a lot to give to a baby or two. : )  They are completly out of debt, so more for the little one. ; ) Please help them find a baby.  If you or anyone that you know is looking for two great people to raise a child in a loving enviroment it is them.  The picture above has their contact information.  You can look at their profile, read their stories and see pictures of them on the website. 

Please copy and post this on your Blog so more and more people may find out about them.  Thank you in advance for helping them in this effort. 

Chelsey Hoge- little sister who is waiting to be an aunt again. : )